Over time Apple Maps has certainly grown in complexity, both in terms of software layers and controls. With iOS 11 and the addition of indoor maps, that statement rings truer than ever. That in mind, it is great to see whenever new software simultaneously makes a concerted effort to level it out by introducing simpler ways to perform basic tasks.
Not too many years ago, compiling a personal slideshow on your iOS powered device was still a pretty big undertaking. Thankfully, we have come a long way since then and owing to the combined power of iOS and Siri intelligence now have a wealth of so called Memories at our fingertips, sometimes so many it's hard to keep up with. Despite the baked-in features to personalize these slideshows, there is still a degree of creativity you surrender to Apple's algorithms, most crucially in picture selection.
If this happens to be your main beef with Memories too, maybe the time is now to give the able feature a chance to get (back) in your good books. Because counter to common perception, there is an easy way to manipulate the picture selection process and generate Memories as beautiful and personal as a hand-picked slideshow. Here's how to use the brainpower of Memories while remaining completely in charge of the photos starring in the slideshow.
Venturing into the depths of iTunes is no longer an activity for the faint-hearted, as Apple’s gold mine is famously becoming more convoluted with every update. It is by no means impossible to keep up with the changes, but staying on top of every small cosmetic shift does pose a decent challenge today.
As somebody very fond of the spoken word on iTunes, I can attest that this general rule holds true for audiobooks as well. So as I was fiddling around with some old school CDs the other day and trying to move audio files within my iTunes library to the Audiobooks tab, I noticed my old methods were already outdated again. If you’re not up to speed on iTunes, here’s a refresher on how to get your talking book to properly identify as Audiobooks inside the application, followed by an encore for CD enthusiasts with regard to joining tracks during import.
If you are not closely tracking every subtle interface change that Apple puts into practice on iOS, macOS or watchOS, it is likely you have entirely lost sight of a smaller feature or setting before. This is because, in short, Apple likes to relocate and thereby slowly supplant features no longer withstanding the test of time. With watchOS 3, the complete renovation of the operating system and reinvention of the Side button on top of it has had a similar ripple effect for numerous older features.
Power Reserve mode has become one of such cases, a feature still of much use despite the improved battery performance on Apple Watch Series 1 and 2. It used to be as easy as holding down the Side button and swiping to activate Power Reserve, but mind you, nothing is permanent with Apple and it has been silently relocated since. In case you have been caught napping on Power Reserve, let's quickly fill you in on how to deploy the potential life saver on the latest watchOS.
Last August, we showed you a really cool project known as Extensify, which is a third-party extension store that allows you to install 'tweaks' for App Store apps on your device without a jailbreak.
Created by iOS developers Majd Alfhaily and Kevin Ko, who are both well-known in the jailbreak community, this extension store works on iOS 9 devices and is side-loaded through Safari.
As of Monday, you can now apply to be a part of the app's soft-launch program via the Extensify website.
Sometimes you miss notifications on your iOS device. Perhaps you were incredibly busy when someone was in the middle of texting or calling you. In some cases, you were so preoccupied that you couldn't even feel the vibrations. In other situations, perhaps you were just away from your device, and never got the memo until hours later, when it was too late.
NoMoreMissed is a new jailbreak tweak available in Cydia's BigBoss repository that ensures you'll never miss a notification for text messages, phone calls, or instant messages ever again.
With a new jailbreak tweak called Akri, your favorite applications are never more than a button press and a swipe away. The tweak, which is now available in Cydia's BigBoss repository for $1.99, lets you have as many of your favorite applications accessible from the Lock screen as you want at all times.
Although there aren't any stock 3D Touch actions in iOS 9's Notification Center, many feel that more could be done with Apple's new deep press recognition in this area, and perhaps we'll see some additions in future iOS updates, but for now these features are only enabled via jailbreak tweaks.
3D Touch to Clear Notifications is a new tweak that, as its name implies, allows users to firmly press in Notification Center to remove all notifications, much like the current implementation in Apple Watch's notification shade.
Coming soon after the release of the Pangu jailbreak for iOS 9 on Wednesday, A3Tweaks has released an update for Apex 2 that introduces iOS 9 compatibility.
As one of several jailbreak tweaks created by the well-known jailbreak development group A3Tweaks, Apex allows users to hide Home screen icons by tucking them under other icons of a similar category, removing the need for excessive folders. A simple swipe will reveal the grouped apps, allowing them to be launched with a tap.
Maintaining a clean workstation is perhaps one of the best ways to help with productivity and clear-thinking. Not only does this apply to one's desk or office, but for those of us who work with computers, it extends to the Dock, folders, and desktop. Keeping things clean and orderly in OS X is vital for getting things done efficiently, and this Mac tip helps do exactly that.
Changing little things about iOS is one of the neat benefits that comes with jailbreaking, whether it's the Slide to Unlock text, or getting rid of different blurs in the UI. NoNotificationsText lets you change the text that says 'No Notifications' in the second tab in Notification Center.
One thing I've always liked about Macs is their secondary keys, where holding down a letter key will display variations of that letter, like holding down "u" to get "ü." This comes in handy when spelling non-English words, but if that's not something you ever do, Apple's substitution of special characters for the traditional key repeats of Windows computers can be an unneeded – and perhaps unwanted – feature.
The good news is that there's a simple way to take control and change the behavior of long key presses to accommodate your needs. This not only works with letters, but number keys as well.